The University of Bath’s student electric racing car team, Team Bath Racing Electric, is looking to do the UK proud as they travel to China to compete in their maiden Formula Student Electric China event.

Team Bath Racing Electric (TBRe), which is made up of undergraduate student engineers from the University of Bath’s Faculty of Engineering & Design have travelled to Zhuhai, China, to compete at the Formula Student Electric China event which takes place from today, Monday 26th November to Saturday 1st December.

They will arrive as the top UK electric team and sole UK representatives. It will also be the first time a UK team has competed at this event.

Over the six days in Zhuhai, the University of Bath students will test themselves against over 35 teams from across world where their racing car will be put through its paces in a number of static and track-based challenges.

Earlier this year at Formula Student UK, TBRe recorded their highest ever ranking, finishing 17th out of the 129 combustion and electric teams, and retained their title as top UK electric team for a consecutive year.

This is the first time TBRe have competed outside of the UK, which has been made possible through the sponsorship and support from a number of organisations and businesses.

Shanghai Automotive Industrial Cooperation (SAIC) Motor UK Technical Centre has been pivotal in supporting TBRe as their lead sponsor, providing engineering expertise as well as financially and logistically supporting the team in getting the racing car to China.

Companies such as Mahle Powertrain and Bosch have also provided their backing and sponsorship, as well as a variety of financial and in-kind support from the University’s Faculty of Engineering & Design and Development & Alumni Relations.

TBRe18 Team Manager, Elizabeth Maclennan, said: “The team is incredibly excited to be competing in China and so grateful to our amazing sponsors, particularly SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre, and supervisors at the University of Bath for their support.

“This is an amazing opportunity for us to get international racing experience and take a big step forward in car performance and team professionalism. With a skeleton crew of students, we are going to be focusing on teamwork and efficiency to reach our racing goals.

“This is a big step for us as a young team and we can’t wait to see the cars our Chinese competitors bring to the event!”

Chief Judge at Formula Student, Terry Spall, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the University of Bath will be flying the flag for Formula Student and UK engineering. Formula Student prides itself for being at the cutting-edge of technology and reflecting wider changes in industry, including the necessary shift to cleaner technology.

“Indeed, many alumni of the competition have gone on to build successful careers in the automotive sector. I’m very excited to see how the team fairs.”

Dean of the Faculty of Engineering & Design, Professor Gary Hawley, commented: “TBRe have enjoyed a monumental rise in success as the top UK electric racing team and the students have gained much respect and admiration for their professionalism and their engineering capabilities.

“Driven and motivated to compete and to be winners, they race against the world’s best in China. We wish them good luck in what will be a tremendous experience.”

SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre, Adam Parr, Employer Brand and Engagement Manager, added: “Over the past few years we have developed an excellent relationship with the University of Bath, employing students from their engineering faculty on our internship and graduate programmes and collaborating with them on projects.

“When the opportunity arose, we were delighted to provide support to TBRe with insight from our skilled engineering workforce and other logistical support.

“All of us at SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre wish the best of luck to the team as they compete in China.”

This is Europe’s most established educational motorsport competition, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

Formula Student (FS) challenges student engineers to design, build and race a single-seat racing car in one year. The FS competitions scrutinise a variety of aspects of each team’s racing car, ranging from manufacturing cost and vehicle design, to on-track performance metrics such as vehicle acceleration and fuel efficiency, and ultimately race pace.

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